6 Effective Uses for Chatbots in Marketing

If you’re like many others, it’s possible that you think of them as nothing more than that annoying little window that pops up when you’re visiting a website. You know what I’m talking about - the one that claims to be able to answer your questions.

You may have had both positive and negatives experiences with chatbots. Some of you may even ignore them altogether.

But if you own a business, you can’t afford to ignore chatbots, as they’re becoming an increasingly-effective marketing tool. eMarketer reports that 1.4 billion people interacted with a chatbot in 2015; unsurprisingly, more and more brands are starting to use these A.I. programs to engage with their customers and enhance their brands.

What are Chatbots and Why Do You Need Them?

A chatbot is a computer program that mimics intelligent conversations with humans, usually through audio or text. The goal is that, rather than just searching for information on your website, a customer can interact with a chatbot to find what they need.

“Chatbots have existed for a good while — at least since ELIZA, an early bot that attempted to psychoanalyze people, was created in the '60s. But the last few years have seen an explosion of applications that make people interact with bots as though they're talking to another person.”

Chatbots are normally used to answer simple questions, including basic product information, weather forecasts, or company information. In some applications, however, chatbot conversations can be combined with actual humans to answer questions that are more complex.

But here’s the amazing thing: a chatbot can get smarter. It can learn from previous conversations so that it continues to become more and more effective. The more knowledge it gains, the better it’s able to answer future customers’ queries.

Pretty cool, right?

Loads of brands - including Kik, Uber, Sephora and more - are now using chatbots to interact with their customers and drive engagement. They’re becoming an incredibly powerful marketing tool, but only for brands that know how to use them.

Here’s how you can get started with chatbots:

1. Sell Your Products & Services

If you’re a small business owner, you’re probably short on free time. As in, you have none at all. You’re busy closing deals, managing your team, and performing various other entrepreneurial tasks. Unfortunately, this means you don’t always have the time to give your customers the attention they need.

You’re only one person, right?

It may not be possible to clone yourself, but when it comes to marketing, Chatbots can get pretty close, allowing you to (finally) be in multiple places at once.

A great example of this is clothing company H&M. When customers interact with the company’s bot, they’re quizzed about the style of clothing they prefer. Then, when the bot has enough information, it can make recommendations that are tailored to the customers’ tastes.

Depending on the types of products and services you offer, you can use your chatbot in a similar fashion (no pun intended). Your bots can sell your products for you, and because they’re online 24/7, they can actually make good on the phrase “make money while you sleep.”

2. Make Payments Easier

Some chatbots these days are even able to take and process payments (and it’s always good to make it easier for customers to give you their money, isn’t it?).

Use your chatbot as a payment tool so that, if a customer needs to make a payment, the chatbot can handle the transaction for you. It only takes a few clicks.